Ken Takahashi Rumors

The Mets released lefty reliever Ken Takahashi, according to Ben Shpigel of the New York Times (via Twitter).

Takahashi, 40, signed a minor league free agent contract with the Blue Jays in February. The Mets scooped him up after the Jays released him in March. Takahashi tossed 56.6 Triple A innings, including seven starts. He had a reverse platoon split in his 27.3 big league innings, as lefties knocked him around to the tune of .302/.387/.472.

Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker is relaying a report from Japanese-based Sports Hochi that states the Cubs are close to inking a one-year deal with left-handed pitcher Ken Takahashi. However, Newman translates quotes from Takahashi that suggest he has not yet chosen a team.

Newman calls it "very early speculation," but it’s definitely a situation worth eying. Sports Hochi believes that Takahashi would be used mostly in middle relief by the Cubs and could be in line for some spot starts. According to the report, the Cubs are looking for emotional support for Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. Others have drummed up a similar idea in the past.

FanGraphs now shows a hitter’s wins over replacement level, as well as the player’s dollar value. You don’t need to be a stathead to enjoy this. For example, here’s the Carlos Pena page. Scroll to the bottom. Value Wins shows he was worth 6.0 wins over replacement level in 2007. That made him worth $24.6MM, but he earned just $800K.

If you are a stathead, you’ll like this 1981 SI article on Bill James.

12:12pm:Piecoro says talks between the D’Backs and Mark Loretta have advanced in recent days. They’ve made a "significant overture" according to Loretta’s agent.

2:26am: Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has the latest on the Diamondbacks, in blog posts here and here.

Piecoro dissects the D’Backs’ thought process behind their decision not to offer arbitration to Type A free agent Adam Dunn. He notes that their rumored two-year offer to Dunn was "more of an exploratory offer, nothing formal." They’ll stay in touch with Dunn in case the market is not to his liking.